"The Cavaliers played a relatively easy game. The Hawks' scoring mostly came from the perimeter. In the first two quarters, when everyone had sufficient stamina and good shooting touch, their performance was decent. However, in the third and fourth quarters, as stamina declined and shooting percentages dropped, the Hawks found themselves in a more passive situation."
In the Dragon country broadcast booth, Coach Zhang and Yang Yi were responsible for the commentary of this game.
"This is mainly because the Cavaliers have a good center," Yang Yi interjected. "The Hawks' Al Horford and Josh Smith actually performed well in the paint from time to time. Josh Smith's explosive power often led to spectacular offensive plays. When the young Hawk King dunks, with his arms spread wide, he resembles a fierce eagle diving towards the ground, just like his nickname suggests. There's both power and beauty in his movements, making you feel Josh Smith's intimidating presence even through the screen."
"But today, the Hawks' offense was clearly wary of Tang Long's interior presence. Josh Smith rarely ventured into the paint, let alone dunked."
Coach Zhang couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't know if you've heard, but there's a saying in the league now: whoever dares to dunk on Tang Long, Tang Long will lock onto them defensively for the entire game. Players are probably afraid of this kind of intimidation."
"Haha, I've heard that too," Yang Yi replied with a laugh. "Believe it or not, foreign fans have actually done statistics. After a player dunks on Tang Long, their average points per game, which might have been in the 20s, drops by at least a third when Tang Long defends them with full effort."
"This shows that Tang Long does have the strength."
Coach Zhang and Yang Yi were showering Tang Long with praise in the broadcast booth. At this moment, the referee blew his whistle, and the second quarter officially began.
The Hawks initiated the offense first. Joe Johnson had the ball and drove, but his rhythm slowed down after crossing half-court. He dribbled while keeping an eye on Tang Long.
"Joe, just play the game. Why are you staring at me? We're not even in the same position."
Joe Johnson didn't engage in banter with Tang Long. He knew Tang Long was trying to distract him. With a quick change of direction, he bypassed Larry Hughes and passed the ball to Mike Bibby in the corner.
Mike Bibby took the shot from the baseline.
*Clang!*
The ball hit the rim, and Tang Long secured the rebound smoothly.
Mike Bibby didn't have many shot attempts in this game and his shooting touch was cold, but he was definitely a player not to be underestimated. Often, he would fly under the radar, only to score over twenty points in a game.
Tang Long glanced at Mike Bibby, who looked a bit dejected, as he passed the ball. If it weren't for his shot attempt, Tang Long almost overlooked him.
The second quarter saw a back-and-forth exchange between both teams. Compared to the first quarter, the Hawks, who had gradually familiarized themselves with James and Tang Long, managed to narrow the deficit to just 5 points. However, playing away from home, the Hawks clearly weren't quite accustomed to the playoff rhythm. By the end of the second quarter, they were still trailing by 1 point.
At the end of the first two quarters, they were actually leading by nine points, 49-40.
At the start of the third quarter, both teams fielded their reserve players. Although the Cavaliers' bench players appeared to be lacking in skill against the opposing starters, they showed significant advantage against the Hawks' reserves. Big Z's presence in the paint was particularly effective on both offense and defense.
Later, James and Tang Long returned to the court six minutes into the third quarter. By this time, the Hawks' shooting touch had also declined. The Cavaliers went on a scoring run, and by the end of the third quarter, they had extended their lead to 19 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Hawks' shooting touch continued to worsen. When the Cavaliers led by over 20 points, Mike Brown substituted James and Tang Long, saving them for future games.
The Cavaliers' tall interior presence played a crucial role in the first game against the Hawks. Ultimately, the Cavaliers won the first game of the series with a score of 104-81, securing their first playoff victory.
Tang Long and James each scored 25 points, accounting for more than half of the team's offense.
Mike Brown was quite satisfied with this game and stated in a post-game interview that the team was already thinking about their next opponent.
This drew some criticism from Mike Brown, with some believing he was underestimating his opponents.
However, after the Cavaliers easily defeated the Hawks 96-77 in the second game, the criticism directed at Mike Brown subsided significantly.
After two consecutive large-margin victories, the Cavaliers felt a sense of pride. Especially after taking a 2-0 lead, Mike Brown generously granted the players a day off, and this time, he didn't even mention the alcohol restriction.
As a result, the Cavaliers suffered a defeat in the third game due to their arrogance.
In the third game, both teams played an open and fast-paced game. Larry Hughes and Pavlovic transformed into sharpshooters, and the offensive pace was extremely quick.
Despite the Cavaliers scoring 26 points in the first quarter, the Hawks managed to score 32 points in the same period. In the first quarter, Tang Long could only run back and forth, and sometimes before he could even reach the basket, the Cavaliers' players had already taken their shots.
In the second quarter, the entire Cavaliers team became more serious and scored 30 points. However, they started slacking off again in the third quarter, allowing the Hawks to go on a 28-18 run. Although the Cavaliers fought back in the third quarter, they ultimately lost the game due to their previous arrogance and carelessness.
After the game, Mike Brown faced severe criticism for giving the team a day off, which was seen as excessively arrogant.
Mike Brown also increased the team's training sessions, attempting to bring the players' overconfident mindset back into check.
In the fourth game, Joe Johnson of the Hawks had an extraordinary performance, scoring thirty-five points personally, while Josh Smith added twenty-eight points, and Mike Bibby scored eighteen points.
Although James and Tang Long combined for sixty points, no other player on the team scored in double digits. The Cavaliers lost to the Hawks again on the road.
The series was tied at 2-2. This finally forced the Cavaliers players to seriously compete.
Returning home, the Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 110-85.
The series score was 3-2.
The Cavaliers held the series advantage. They played with sufficient seriousness on the road, but back at home, the entire Hawks team delivered a phenomenal performance, with six players scoring in double digits. Josh Childress stepped up in crucial moments, scoring 16 points himself and completely outplaying the Cavaliers' bench. Ultimately, the Cavaliers lost on the road 100-103 to the Hawks.
The series score was tied again at 3-3.
Losing this game instilled a sense of crisis in Mike Brown. After the game, Mike Brown directly unleashed his frustration in the locker room, even scolding James and Tang Long.
Finally, Mike Brown issued a direct order: the entire team would undergo extra training until their mindset was corrected.
After defeating the Cavaliers at home, the Hawks seemed to become somewhat complacent. Especially Josh Childress, who played well in the sixth game, stated in a post-game interview that the Cavaliers were just showboats.
Tang Long, he claimed, was merely overhyped by fans and not as good as he was made out to be. He asserted that the Hawks were more deserving of advancing!